Nine

NINE

Brock

"What shape do you want, Mia?"

The corners of my mouth tipped up as I worked in the kitchen, listening to what was happening just a few feet away from me.

I never thought I'd see the day when my niece would be in my house talking to my neighbor. And yet, here I was.

And there she was.

Sitting at the table in the dining area just off the kitchen, waiting to have lunch with Izzy and me, was Mia.

She was doing all of that while she was single.

I still hadn't quite wrapped my head around that news. Mia had gotten rid of the boyfriend.

Of course, I thought it was great. That guy didn't deserve her. But I could understand that it must have been difficult for her. In fact, I hated to hear her admit that she'd been sad and had cried.

If I had known, I would have done something sooner.

Granted, I felt an attraction to her, but I wouldn't have gone in trying to make a move on her. The last thing I'd want is to be a rebound for her. If there was a chance for a real relationship at some point, I wouldn't be interested in rushing her.

But she'd mentioned they broke up before Christmas. To know she'd been single for months, that she'd spent the holidays alone and upset, was unsettling. She was that close; I could have been there to help her, to offer some comfort. I could have invited her over for dinner on occasion.

While I couldn't go back and change anything, at least I could do something about it now.

Today, that meant having her over to join Izzy and me for lunch. And my niece didn't hesitate to make Mia feel welcome.

"I'm not sure I understand, Izzy. What kind of shape do I want for what?" Mia questioned her.

"Your sandwich. Uncle Brock has cookie cutters, so we can have fun shapes when we eat our peanut butter sandwiches," Izzy explained.

"Oh, well, what are my choices?" Mia asked.

Izzy hopped down from her chair, which she'd made sure was right beside Mia's, and moved away from the table and toward the kitchen. "I'll get them, so you can pick the one you like the best."

As soon as Izzy made it to the kitchen and pulled open the drawer where the cookie cutters were stored, I looked up to see Mia with her eyes on me and a smile on her face. Since my niece was preoccupied with what she was doing, I took the opportunity to speak to Mia.

"Are you okay with just peanut butter on your sandwich?" I asked. "Izzy and I aren't fans of jelly."

Mia's soft laughter filled the air, the sound of it forcing something to squeeze at the center of my chest. I'd heard her laugh before now, but this time felt different. "I often have just peanut butter sandwiches myself, so that sounds wonderful to me."

I offered an approving nod, my gaze lingering on her pretty face for a few extra beats, before I returned my attention to the food.

"Here are the shapes," Izzy declared as she made her way back to the table.

"Oh, wow. There're a lot of them. Do you have a favorite?" Mia asked her.

I'd been trying to keep my attention focused on preparing the sandwiches along with the rest of our lunch, but I couldn't seem to help myself. There was something I liked a lot about having Mia here with us, and I kept stealing glances at her. She seemed to be so at ease with Izzy, which I would have normally attributed to working with kids for her job every day, but I'd learned the first day I met her that Mia was a happy-go-lucky, friendly, and talkative woman. She'd been very outgoing from the start, so what I was witnessing now didn't exactly come as a surprise.

"I like this one the best."

As I moved toward the refrigerator to pull out a couple of apples, I smiled. I didn't have to see which cookie cutter Izzy was showing off to know which one she'd chosen. Any time her dad brought her here without packing her lunch for her ahead of time, she always picked the same shape—a butterfly. Unless it was a special occasion, like Christmas or Valentine's Day, when she'd choose a tree or a heart, Izzy always chose the butterfly.

"That's the perfect shape for spring, Izzy," Mia told her.

"Yeah. Uncle Brock tells me I'm so busy and beautiful like a butterfly, so that's why I pick it all the time."

"Oh, I was going to stick with the spring theme and pick one of these flowers. But maybe I could find one that describes me better. What do you think?"

Izzy was quiet for a moment, contemplating her response. My niece was a thoughtful little girl, so I was curious to see what she'd choose to describe Mia.

"Well, you could still pick the flower, because flowers are pretty. And you're so pretty."

My eyes met Mia's, and the corners of my mouth tipped up with a smile. "Izzy's not wrong."

A flush crept over her skin, and she quickly tore her attention away from me. "Okay, kiddo. Which should I choose then, the daisy or the tulip?"

Mia was holding each of the flowers up in front of Izzy. My niece pointed to the daisy. "I like this one more."

Mia beamed at Izzy, the smile transforming her. God, she was pretty. Far prettier than any flower I'd ever seen.

"I think that's an excellent choice. What about Uncle Brock? Does he have a favorite, or is there one that reminds you of him? Or does he keep his sandwich boring?"

I began cutting up the apples into slices, and my lips twitched, wondering how Mia would react when she learned the answer to her question.

"Uncle Brock is always the dinosaur."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"But dinosaurs are so big, old, and scary. That doesn't seem like your uncle, does it?"

"Well, Uncle Brock isn't very scary, but he is big and kind of old," Izzy revealed.

Unable to help myself, I looked over and saw Mia's brows shoot up. "He is? He doesn't look very old to me."

Izzy grabbed ahold of the three cookie cutters we needed for today's lunch, so she could bring them to me. But before she walked away from Mia, she looked her square in the eyes and deadpanned, "He's older than my dad. And Daddy's really old, too."

Mia glanced over at me again, and it was immediately clear she was trying her best not to burst into a fit of laughter. She was struggling so hard; she couldn't even respond to Izzy.

So, once my darling niece made it over to me with the cookie cutters, I took them from her and said, "I'm not that old, buttercup. Thirty-three is still very young."

"It feels like it's the same as being one hundred."

Despite our best efforts, neither Mia nor I could hold back the laughter any longer. It spilled out of us, easing any of the tension that had been lingering there for me. I hoped it did the same for Mia. She certainly appeared to be happier than she had been outside when Izzy had questioned her about having a boyfriend.

I used the cookie cutters, finished the preparation of our lunches by adding the sliced apples to the plates as well as graham crackers, and carried the plates over to the table. As I set the plates down in front of the girls, I asked, "What can I get you to drink, Mia?"

She bit her lip, forcing my eyes to drop to them, as her body tensed, and her shoulders drifted up toward her ears. She appeared to be nervous to respond to my question.

Returning my attention to her eyes, I asked, "Is everything okay?"

"I don't want you to think I'm weird."

My brows drew together. "For what you want to drink? Why would I think you're weird?"

"Well, it's just that I love eating peanut butter sandwiches with milk," she revealed.

"Me too!" Izzy squealed.

I laughed again, feeling something warm come over me as my gaze shifted between Izzy and Mia. Why did this feel so good?

"I've got plenty of milk," I announced before turning around and making my way back to the refrigerator.

Maybe it was silly, but I liked knowing this tiny detail about Mia. It made me eager to know even more about her. And if what I'd believed was the case with her, it was likely I wouldn't have a difficult time making that happen.

Mia was outgoing, and now that she was single, I'd be far more willing to engage in conversations that went beyond the typical things we discussed whenever we stopped at our mailboxes for a quick chat at the end of every workday. Given her personality, I believed she'd be receptive to those conversations.

And although I couldn't be entirely sure about where she stood emotionally now that she was post breakup, Mia had shared with Izzy that even though she'd been sad previously, she was finding things to be happy about now.

Maybe spending time with me could be something she found happiness in.

I made it back to the table with three cups of milk, and after I grabbed my own lunch off the kitchen counter, I finally joined the girls and grabbed a seat.

"This looks wonderful, Brock," Mia declared.

I glanced down at the plates, felt a wave of disbelief move through me, returned my attention to Mia, and laughed. "While I'm not what I'd consider a professional chef, I can promise you that my cooking skills go beyond peanut butter sandwiches."

Mia smiled at me, lifted her sandwich in her hand, and said, "I don't doubt your ability with other foods. I mean, this is the fanciest peanut butter sandwich I've ever had." She took a bite, and I couldn't bring myself to look away from her. Fortunately, she didn't catch me staring at her mouth, because she turned her focus to Izzy and said, "Your uncle was right. You two make some excellent sandwiches."

"They're my favorite," Izzy revealed. "And I think they taste better when they are cut into shapes."

"I agree with you. This is the best I've ever tasted, and you're so lucky to have an uncle who makes it fun for you."

Izzy was five. I didn't see how it could be any other way than fun.

The three of us had about a minute or so of silence as we ate some of our food, but I eventually broke that silence and asked Mia, "So, where were you coming from today when we saw you outside?"

Mia grabbed her glass of milk and took a sip before she answered, "With the weather getting nicer, I thought I'd take advantage and go out for a walk. Not only did I get some exercise while the sun was shining on my face, but I also got to explore a bit more of the neighborhood, since I moved in when it was so much colder outside."

"Did you have plans for today? We're not keeping you from anything, are we?" I pressed.

She shook her head. "No. Not at all. Or, well, you're not keeping me from anything fun or important. I do have to get some grocery shopping and laundry done today, but that can all wait until later."

I gave her a nod of understanding, but before I could respond, Izzy asked, "Do you have a dog, Mia?"

A bright smile formed on her face at the sound of my niece's voice. "No, I don't. Do you?"

Izzy shook her head. "Daddy said that'll be too much work right now, but maybe when I'm older. Do you have any animals?"

"I wish I could say that I do, but I don't."

I decided to jump in and explained, "Izzy is an animal lover. She always asks her dad for a dog, but I think she'd be happy with any animal."

"I want chickens, too."

Confusion washed over Mia's expression. "Chickens? That's unusual, don't you think?"

Izzy was clutching the last bite of her sandwich tightly between her fingers and returned, "The babies are so fluffy and soft. They're so cute."

Mia laughed. "I guess they are. So, it is safe to say you like animals that you can pet, because they're soft and cuddly?"

"Turtles and sharks are two of her favorites," I shared.

Mia's head snapped back in my direction. "What?"

I nodded, confirming she hadn't heard me wrong, and said, "Izzy's always been a big animal lover, but she has tons of books about turtles and sharks. They are her very favorites, and she thinks they're cute, too. But since she's less likely to convince her dad to get her a turtle, and a shark is completely out of the question, she's decided a dog or a chicken will do."

Turning her attention back to Izzy, Mia said, "Cute? Sharks?"

Izzy didn't see what made that absurd and confirmed, "So cute."

For the remainder of lunch, my niece filled Mia in on all things animals—most of her focus on the different species of sharks and turtles and which she liked best and why. She also made mention of her love of movies, dancing, and of course, coloring.

I loved Izzy dearly.

And while I participated in the conversation all throughout lunch, there was no question I had the thought lingering in the back of my mind when I'd be able to have this kind of time with Mia on my own. Surely, the conversation the two of us would have with one another was likely to not involve any animals.

Long after we'd all finished our lunches—I'd even had time to clean up our plates and cups while Izzy was entertained with Mia—Mia announced, "Well, I should probably get going now. This was so much fun, and I'm pretty sure I'm now an expert on sharks and turtles."

"Will you come back the next time I'm here?" Izzy asked her.

Mia glanced at me for guidance, so I offered a gentle nod and smile in return. She turned her attention to Izzy again and said, "I'd be happy to come back and spend time with you again. Once you know when you're coming back for a visit, make sure to remind your Uncle Brock to let me know, and I'll mark it on my calendar."

"I will."

"Alright, buttercup," I said. "How about you go get yourself ready to watch that movie we talked about earlier while I walk Mia to the door?"

"Okay. Bye, Mia."

"Goodbye, Izzy. I hope you enjoy your movie."

Izzy skipped off toward the living room, a clear bounce in her step. I jerked my head in the opposite direction and urged Mia toward the front door.

As she walked there ahead of me, I allowed my eyes to drift down to her ass. It was the first opportunity I'd had to take in the sight of it. To say it felt like a reward would have been an understatement.

Damn.

She was beautiful, funny, outgoing, intelligent, and had a great ass.

I lifted my gaze just as she made it to the door and turned around. She looked so happy, maybe even appreciative.

"This was so much fun, Brock. I really had a wonderful time this afternoon with you and Izzy. She's a delightful little girl," Mia said.

"Thanks. She is a sweetheart. We had a great time with you, too. If I know anything about my niece, she'll be asking her dad as soon as he comes to pick her up when she can come back to spend time with you again," I replied.

"I'll be more than happy to join the both of you again. Thank you for inviting me today. It was really nice. In fact, I don't think I've laughed or smiled this much in months, so thank you for giving me this today."

I sent a sympathetic look her way. "I'm sorry to hear about your breakup." Even if I believed she was better off without the guy, I could still appreciate the fact that she'd been hurt by what she went through. "But I'm glad we were able to brighten your day today."

"You definitely did. I'm kind of hoping Izzy's dad decides to let her come back sooner rather than later, so I can enjoy having some company again. I really had a great time."

Those words were precisely what I needed to hear, and I didn't hesitate to capitalize on the opportunity. "We don't have to wait, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

Shrugging, I reasoned, "I realize Izzy's a ton of fun to be around, but we don't have to wait until she comes back for you and me to get together. I'd love to have you over for dinner sometime."

Mia's head tipped to the side, her eyes dancing as the smile spread across her face. "Really? I'd love to get together sometime."

Something warm hit the center of my chest. Maybe it was the increased pace of my heartbeat. Perhaps it was the way Mia was looking at me. It could have simply been the fact that she had agreed to having dinner with me. Whatever it was, I liked it a lot, and I was looking forward to more of that feeling, something I didn't doubt I'd experience the more I was around her.

"Yeah, me, too. We might even be able to talk about something other than sharks and turtles," I teased.

Laughter spilled out of Mia. "That sounds like a plan. I'll let you get back to your day with Izzy, but we can figure something out soon."

"I'll look forward to that," I assured her, reaching for the doorknob and opening the door.

"See you later, Brock."

"Enjoy the rest of your day, Mia."

A moment later, Mia was gone. And I spent the rest of the day giving in to each and every one of Izzy's requests, because if it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to enjoy peanut butter sandwiches and milk with Mia today.